Mitsubishi Lancer Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy

Every Mitsubishi Lancer model year from 1996 to 2017, benchmarked against each other with 1,139 federal complaints, 19 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.

Avoid: 2002–2003. These years top the Lancer's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 2011, 2015–2016 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.

The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the Lancer's own worst year — full methodology.

Under investigation. Federal regulators currently have an open defect investigation on the Mitsubishi Lancer.

Air Bag Inflator Rupture EA15001 opened February 24, 2015 · still open

Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their…

Model years named: 2003, 2004, 2005

An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →

1,139Complaints on file
19Recall campaigns
22Model years

The trouble strip

One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.

1996 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Darker = quieter yearsBrighter amber = more trouble

The defining problem

Transmission & drivetrain tops the Mitsubishi Lancer file with 159 complaints, concentrated in the 2003 model years, most often reported around 55,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.

Every year, ranked

YearVerdictComplaintsRecallsTop problemTrouble index
2017 Few reports 7 0 — 2
2016 Better year 40 2 Transmission & drivetrain 12
2015 Better year 36 1 — 18
2014 Few reports 23 0 — 16
2013 Few reports 9 0 — 2
2012 Few reports 26 1 — 11
2011 Better year 51 3 Engine 15
2010 Typical 66 6 Engine 22
2009 Below average 139 8 Electrical 64
2008 Below average 126 5 Suspension 45
2007 Few reports 3 3 — 1
2006 Typical 52 7 Airbags 23
2005 Few reports 27 6 Airbags 10
2004 Below average 96 7 Visibility & wipers 35
2003 Avoid 242 6 Visibility & wipers 81
2002 Avoid 194 4 Visibility & wipers 100
2000 Few reports 1 0 — 0
1996 Few reports 1 0 — 0

Technical service bulletins

Beyond complaints and recalls, 1,364 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Mitsubishi Lancer. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.

Browse the Mitsubishi Lancer TSB list by year →

Questions buyers ask

What Mitsubishi Lancer years should I avoid?

Federal complaint records point to 2002–2003 as the Mitsubishi Lancer years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.

What is the most common Mitsubishi Lancer problem?

Transmission & drivetrain tops the Mitsubishi Lancer file with 159 complaints, concentrated in the 2003 model years, most often reported around 55,000 miles.

What are the best Mitsubishi Lancer years to buy used?

The quietest Mitsubishi Lancer years in federal records are 2011, 2015–2016 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.

Data updated 2026-08-20 from NHTSA's public records

Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Mitsubishi Lancer only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.